Tips & Tricks
February 18, 2024

5 Tips for Conducting the Best Rental Property Showings

Showing your property to prospective tenants is an important step in the vacancy filling process. If you don’t know what to expect, it can become a really daunting and time-consuming process. It requires preparation, communication skills, time management, and sometimes it even requires research.

Whether you’re a showing agent or a property manager, here are five helpful tips for proper apartment showing etiquette — consider these before showing prospective tenants through your property!

  1. Tidy up. It’s really important to make sure a property looks its best—and it’s a surprisingly easy task! There are a lot of small things you can do to help make the property more appealing to prospective tenants.
    Make sure the home shows as well as it can: clean the windows, make sure the carpets are clean and the countertops cleared. It’s often the really small things that can make a property show its best! If you have current tenants there, it could be helpful to provide some clear and fair guidelines for them to follow to help them prepare the apartment to be shown.
  2. Know the property. Take some time to think about or research questions that tenants may ask you while they’re on the tour, and be prepared with answers! If you encounter answer you don’t know, be sure to write it down in the moment, and follow up later with a more concrete answer.
  3. Know the neighborhood. What’s nearby? Where do the residents of this neighborhood gather? Research the ins and outs of the neighborhood so you can advise prospective tenants on things like where the nearest grocery store is, if there are parks or trails in walking distance, where the closest schools are, etc. You can also explore information from your city’s planning department to discover the zoning in that neighborhood and familiarize yourself with any upcoming or pending rezones or construction projects going on. As Logan Tice advises, “first and foremost, know what you’re showing. Look up the details, anticipate which questions the prospect might ask you. Be knowledgeable about the area the property is in, and be prepared to answer questions about it.”
  4. Secure any pets. We all love our pets and want to show them off, however property showings are not the time or place. It can be really distracting, and for some, off-putting or even intimidating, to have a pet in the house while they’re trying to get a sense of  whether or not this could be their new home. If the property is pet-friendly, simply mention that, while keeping pets currently living there either off premises completely or closed off in a separate space where they will be safe and not causing distractions. Make sure they're not closed off in a room that your prospective tenants will want to see, though!
  5. Be honest and polite. As much as we’d like to be able to tell the prospective tenants what they want to hear, it’s always best to just be honest and up front about everything. You can stay positive about it though— small = quaint and cozy, old = original, vintage, or classic. Furthermore, it’s important to be polite and make them feel  comfortable while they’re touring the home. Using a professional and kind tone of voice is always a good way to go!

From responding to inquiries, coordinating schedules and logistics, and driving  to the property location, property showings can take up a lot of time. That's why Showdigs is here to help take the headache out of showings, so that you can fill your vacancies faster and reclaim your time.

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